When I first put this disc; Ironwood's debut album ":Fire:Water:Ash:" on to play I immediately drew correlation with Borknagar's Origin album. In the case of those guys I expected Black/Viking Metal but received soft acoustic material. In the case of Ironwood I was promised a kind of Folk/Progressive Metal blend but was given similar acoustic music. Once the second track "The Oncoming Storm" came around though I figured I'd be treated to a little more variation. It came forward with heavier electric riffs playing a kind of "jiggy" tune with the same booming vocals. The surprises don't end there though! Ironwood has more to offer.